The art of the present invention relates to rocket launchers utilized in military applications in general and more particularly to a protected and reusable connector apparatus and method of use which allows electronic transfer of guidance information to guided rockets and further allows the guided rockets to launch without damage to the connector apparatus. That is, the temperatures, pressures, and soot particles of a rocket plume are so severe that conventional connection mechanisms would fail.
Unguided rockets have been utilized by militaries since prior to World War II and are in use to this day. An example of such an unguided rocket is the unguided Hydra 70. It is a 2.75 inch (70 mm) folding fin aerial rocket developed by the United States and is utilized throughout the world. The rocket is a point and shoot weapon without laser, radar, fly-by-wire, or any other type of guidance system. The rocket is further utilized with many types of fixed and rotary wing aircraft and is especially adept at providing close air support to ground forces. Examples of said aircraft include, but are not limited to, the OH-58D(R) Kiowa Warrior, the AH-64D Apache Longbow, and the AH-1 Cobra.
The aforesaid and other types of unguided rockets are typically held, transported, and launched or fired from a rocket launcher attached on or to an aircraft. The aforesaid launchers most often utilized with said unguided 2.75 inch rockets are the M260 pod which holds seven rockets (i.e. a tubular canister having six circumferential tubes with one tube in the center) and the M261 pod which holds 19 rockets (i.e. a tubular canister having five tube rows of three, four, five, four, and three from the front face top to bottom). Said pods have interfaces which fit with and are held by the bomb racks on the aircraft or other vehicle and are often referred to as a rail or drum launcher. The aforesaid launchers have ignition contacts near the rear of each tube and detention mechanisms within each tube which hold the rocket in place during transport and prior to launch. As conventional 2.75 inch rockets such as the Hydra 70 are unguided, there has been little need for any further connection or interface mechanisms.
Presently, there is a desire to incorporate precision guidance mechanisms or capabilities into the 2.75 inch rockets (or other rocket types) and provide a launcher pod that is able to interface with said guided rockets yet mate with or mount to an aircraft (or other vehicle) as the M260 or M261 with a minimum of aircraft modifications. An example of such a rocket is the laser-guided 2.75 inch (70 mm) Hydra rocket called the Guided Advanced Tactical Rocket-Laser (GATR-L, a.k.a. Gator). The present art applies not only to the aforesaid but also to any precision guided rockets having or containing a lock-on-before-launch capability. This requires that guidance information be supplied from the aircraft (or other transport vehicle) to the rocket in real time prior to launch. It also requires that upon launch of said rocket, the interfacing connectors be protected from the extremely high temperatures, soot, and pressures of the rocket exhaust or plumes.
The present art utilizes a conventional M260 pod and adds an extender module (for the preferred embodiment approximately 10 to 11 inches in length) having the present art blind-mating rocket launcher connector and protection system near or at the front portion of said M260 pod or extender module without any modification to the aforesaid M260 pod or the extender module attached to the M260 pod. The present art utilizes the six circumferential tubes of the M260 pod for holding, transporting, and launching the guided rockets with the center tube utilized for placement of interface and control electronics. A platform or firing management system on board the vehicle interfaces with the interface and/or control electronics. The present art blind-mating rocket launcher connector and protection system allows for passage of electronic data to the guided rocket to lock on to a pulse coded laser illumination of the target prior to and after launch. Alternative embodiments of the extender module which incorporate the present art may be of any length, width, or diameter.
The laser-guided 2.75 inch (70 mm) rocket has a protruding aerodynamic hood (i.e. rail or extension) with a female electrical connector which mates with the present art having a male electrical connector. (As understood by those skilled in the arts, electrical connectors typically have one or more pins or sockets within, often collectively referred to as pins.) As seen in FIGS. 8-13 & 30-31, the laser-guided rocket female connector has male pins and the present art male connector has female sockets or pins. That is, the present art has a launch tube keyway within which said aerodynamic hood slides and blindly mates with the male (with female pins or sockets) electrical connector therein. For enablement purposes only and by no means a limitation to the present art, additionally, the aforesaid guided rocket typically has six unfolding fins near the rear and four guidance canards near the front with the aforesaid female electrical connector in front of said canards. An electrical guidance (i.e. data) interface is provided through the present art apparatus and into said female electrical connector on the guided rocket. The preferred embodiment electrical connector has 10 pins with alternative embodiments capable of incorporating varied pin quantities and arrangements.
Unique to the present art is the ability of the male (i.e. with female pins or sockets) electrical connector to provide a self centering connection with said guided rocket with sufficient alignment tolerances or float to ensure a positive blind mating. Additionally, upon launch of said guided rocket, the male (i.e. having female pins or sockets) connector re-centers within a housing of the present art and a cover immediately overlays the connector in order to protect the connector sockets or contacts from the temperatures, pressures, and soots of the rocket plume. This action occurs prior to the rocket plume reaching the connector. As understood by those skilled in the art, the male-female connector and pin relationship of the guided rocket and the present art blind-mating rocket launcher connector and protection system may be reversed without departing from the scope and spirit of the present art.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a blind-mating rocket launcher connector and protection system and method of use which is capable of quickly and easily mating with a guided rocket, providing connector self centering or alignment capability, and also protecting the connector from the harsh environment of rocket launch.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a blind-mating rocket launcher connector and protection system and method of use which is highly tolerant of rocket and component mismatch do to misalignments or tolerance limits.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a blind-mating rocket launcher connector and protection system and method of use which provides a unique cam, linkage, and connector cover structure that covers the sensitive electronic data connector prior to rocket exit and connector exposure to the deleterious effects of rocket exhaust plume.